Last week we opened a new exhibit on the 5th floor, a wonderful selection of reproductions of the glass plate negatives in the Benjamin Gifford collection. This week we’re pleased to announce the release of a new digital collection with photographs from the whole Gifford family!

New digital collection: photographs taken by four Gifford Family photographers

The Gifford Photographic Collection consists primarily of photographs taken by the four Gifford Family photographers: Ralph I. Gifford; his father, Benjamin A. Gifford; his wife, Wanda Gifford; and their son, Ben L. Gifford.

The Gifford Family’s photographic work began around 1890, when Benjamin A. Gifford moved to Portland, and continued into the 1950s. The collection documents Oregon landmarks and scenic views on the Oregon coast and in the Cascade Mountains, Willamette Valley, and central and eastern Oregon; agriculture in Oregon; and Native Americans, especially of the Columbia Plateau.

The tourism film The New Oregon Trail in the Ralph I. Gifford Motion Pictures (SG 3) section is one of my favorites. The production was supervised and edited by Harold Bradley Say, photographed by Ralph I. Gifford, and distributed by Castle Films. The 16 mm Kodachrome color film, with soundtrack, is approximately 22 minutes long (800 feet) and is also available for viewing online. It consists of footage of scenic and recreational attractions in Oregon and strongly emphasizes the moderate climate (read: not rainy climate) we enjoy in the Pacific Northwest, strongly promoting sport and commercial fishing on the Oregon Coast and in Oregon rivers, streams, and lakes. Of special note are scenes of Native Americans fishing at Celilo Falls, state parks throughout Oregon, highways and bridges (especially on the Oregon Coast), Mount Hood and Timberline Lodge, and the Pendleton Round-Up. Much of the footage in this film is similar to still photographs taken by Ralph I. Gifford.